CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MHS BASKETBALL TEAMS CCNNCCCC FFoouunnddaattiioonn DDiinnnneerr RANGELY | The Colorado Northwestern Community College Foundation R I O B L A N C O will host its annual dinner dance March 29 at 6 p.m. in the Weiss Colorado R I O B L A N C O Room on the Rangely campus. The event raises funds for scholarships, facility improvements, pro - gram enhancements and special projects. More than $39,000 raised at last year’s dinner dance helped fund the college’s Rector Building remodel and expansion. The use of this year’s funds will be determined by an executive committee. The dinner dance features musician Shae Bramer and will recognize the Foundation’s Supporter of the Year. Caterer Sodexo will provide appe - tizers, a prime rib or chicken dinner and dessert, with beer or wine avail - able for purchase.Tickets are $35 each or $200 for a table of six and can Hera ld Tim es be purchased at the Rangely recreation center, Sweetbriar Gifts, First National Bank of the Rockies, the Rangely Liquor Store or by contacting Amy Deese at 675-3219 or Becky Dubbert at 675-3301 in Rangely, or from Iris Franklin on CNCC’s Meeker campus at 878-5227. Volume 129, Number 32 I March 20, 2014 I theheraldtimes.com untyJ RioBlancoCo usticeCenterC Town OKs closure oposed omple of block of 5th Street Pr x By SEAN M cMAHON “The Meeker Town Code does not [email protected] specify or require a land-use code process to accomplish vacating the MEEKER I The Meeker Town roadway,” he said, adding that the Board on Tuesday gave unanimous county now owns the parcels on both approval to an ordinance requested by sides of the street. Rio Blanco County to close Fifth Meszaros said town staff had Street from Main to Park streets to requested that the county provide a allow the courthouse and old elemen - vacation plat, a legal description of the tary school to encompass the two- parcel and that the process go through block area. the “usual” town process of approving All town board members agreed to Land Use Code items, which include the ordinance except Katelin Cook, posting and noticing of the request. who was not present. No one in the Meszaros stated, “The decision for audience spoke in opposition. vacating the roadway should be based The topic of closing Fifth Street upon the application and discussions between Park and Main streets goes heard at the public hearing.” And that is back to June 2013, when the town con - why, he said, the town hearing is sched - veyed ownership of the “Main Street uled after the county has released its Building” to Rio Blanco County own - formal plans for the project publicly. ership. Rio Blanco County Planner Eric The street between the Rio Blanco Jauquez said Tuesday night that rough - County Courthouse and the old ele - ly 14 parking places will be lost, chang - mentary school would be vacated to ing the county’s statement at its justice COURTESY PHOTO enlarge the area to hold community center meetings last week, when they events and outdoor venues. said 10 parking spaces would be Meeker Town Administrator Scott gained. Meszaros said the process to close off “While we will lose a few parking the street by state statute only requires places overall, we will be able to County presents justice center concept plan an ordinance be approved by the Town increase parking in the future, if need - By SEAN M cMAHON After the suit was worked out and lion. That could very easily be us if we Board of Trustees. ed,” Jauquez said. [email protected] the county had the necessary funds don’t do something soon.” Center Bulletin: again, the same four sites considered County Planner Eric Jaquez said MEEKER I Roughly 90 people RANGELY I The Rio for the justice center in 2005 were the the county is using a four-pronged were present the evening of March 12 Blanco County Board of same sites looked at this time: Curtis process on the project: evaluate the Rangely blood drive to as the Rio Blanco County commis - Commissioners on Monday in Creek, the old elementary school, project team; evaluate the historic sioners unveiled their concept draw - Rangely gave unanimous behind the current courthouse and the information; evaluate the possible ing for turning the old Meeker approval to a concept plan for old Bureau of Land Management sites and solutions; and evaluate the commemorate infant’s life By HEATHER ZADRA Elementary School into a new justice the new justice center in Meeker, building. proposed conceptual designs. Within a day of Makayla’s birth, center, which would hold the county utilizing the site of the old Commissioner Shawn Bolton said Asked why not use the court - Special to the Herald Times Kathy and Ian knew their newborn jail, courts, sheriff’s office, county Meeker Elementary School as the original 2011 plans called for con - house, Jaquez said that would require daughter was ill. What they didn’t know RANGELY I attorney and staff and court-related well as incorporating the front of struction on the back of the current the county to put the geothermal heat - On March 23, 2010, was that Makayla had volvulus, a twist - offices. the old school into the design. courthouse. It was originally 75,000 ing/cooling system in front of the cur - Kathy and Ian Kottenstette met their ing of the intestine that can happen at Those present heard a 90-minute Commissioner Shawn Bolton square feet but had “a tremendous rent courthouse, there would be no infant daughter, Makayla Jane. She any life stage and for a variety of rea - presentation by the commissioners said Wednesday that the interior amount of wasted space,” he said, and room for growth down the line, the weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and she sons. In Makayla’s case, the twisting and former commissioner Ken layout as presented on March 12 Archetype was asked to cut it down to courthouse is currently short on the was perfect. was cutting off the blood supply to Parsons regarding the entire history of at the Fairfield Center will likely 50,000 feet. The current project will requirements for the new building and “She was a very mellow little girl,” Makayla’s small intestine, effectively the need for a new justice center, start - remain as presented at the meet - entail 20,000 feet, he said. there is no place for enough specific Kathy Kottenstette recalled. “The few killing the organ’s tissue. ing when Parsons was on the board in ing but that adjustments are pos - Originally, Bolton added, the fore - cells. times she would get fussy, Ian or I For the next three days, as Makayla 2005. sible to the entryways and pavil - cast cost was $20 million to $23 mil - He said the goals of the project are would say something, and it would was put on observation at Saint Mary’s Commission Chairman Jon Hill ion to be placed on the lawn. lion and that was agreed to as way too to build a “safe and secure” facility, to calm her down. One time, when I got to Hospital and then, on March 26, flight- started by stating that the county has high. find the most fiscally sound solution hold her in the NICU (newborn inten - for-lifed to Denver’s Children’s had the money set aside for the project The current plans call for expendi - to taking care of the needs at the court - sive care unit), I watched her heart rate and that there will be no need for a Former commissioner Parsons tures of $14,186,000 with 10 percent house, to expand to afford more coun - lower as I held her on my chest.” See BLOOD , Page 2A bond issue. He also stated that the said that in 2005 if someone had told or $1,418,600 set aside for cost over - ty usage, to design and construct a board has been serious about moving him it would be 2014 before anything runs, bringing the total to building with the opportunity to forward with the new center for about was done, he would have been very $15,604,600. expand in the future and to make cer - nine months, when the board put out a surprised. Archetype was originally “It is important we get on with this tain traffic flow meets state standards call for architects for the project. hired to build the new jail in 2005, but project because we don’t want what and requirements. Initially, 14 architects responded, then an energy company tax lawsuit happened in Routt County to happen Bob Johnson of Reilly Johnson, then the number was dropped to 10, came up. The county lost the litigation to us,” Bolton said. “The state went in which specializes in justice center then narrowed to four, then Reilly and had to use the set-aside building there and told them what they had to Johnson was chosen. funds to pay off the energy company. do, and that ended up costing $40 mil - See JUSTICE , Page 9A Variety of comments made by residents By SEAN M cMAHON summary of what most of the speak - know why 44 parking spaces were but that the entire front facade of the [email protected] ers had to say: taken away along Fifth Street and old elementary school will be uti - Scott Mobley: Mobley said he why Rangely wasn’t considered for lized. DONATION TO MEF ... RBC I Nineteen residents of wants to see the justice center placed the justice center.